


The Broken Citadel

by Cal2036



Category: None - Fandom
Genre: Abuse of Authority, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Alternate Universe - Future, Androids, Angst, Authority Challenge, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Cyberpunk, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Fantasy, Future Fic, Gen, Government Conspiracy, Major Character Injury, Manipulative Relationship, Mind Manipulation, Original Character(s), Physical Abuse, Pre-Apocalypse, Riots, Science Fiction, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24487981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cal2036/pseuds/Cal2036
Summary: Glimpses of hope are often hard to spot in the darkened society of The Broken Citadel, a place situated in the far midst of the universe, remaining mostly untouched and undisturbed by anyone other than the citizens of the citadel itself. The inhabitants of this dystopian living environment are anything but free willed, consisting of blissfully unaware enslaved humans and aliens alike, held firmly under the thumb of their cruel and manipulative leader Victor Colton, a crazed hybrid with a sadistic desire to acquire a dominant hold upon those within his reach.Yet when there is deception, suspicion arouses, and when there is suspicion, resistance forms.Due to increasing uprisings and protests from a group of rebels which is quickly growing in number, Victor struggles to uphold order in the citadel, and his livelihood is at risk of crashing violently to the ground.
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is still a major work in progress and there are many improvements to be made over time, but for now i hope my (first) work is somewhat adequate and enjoyable to read. Feedback and thoughts/comments would and will be appreciated :)

Tuesday, 26th october  
2:44am  
5302  
Ngc-4565 

"i thought i might find you up here.. " 

Aeryn always seemed to know damien better than Damien knew himself, and if it hadn't been for the gentle creaking of ever so weathered apartment stairs, the weary eyes android never would have heard the other coming. Damien turned his head sideways with a fleeting chuckle from pale coloured lips, mismatched eyes meeting with the silvery grey hues of Aéryn volt, the only man that he could really put his trust into these days, offering him a weak yet still somewhat genuine smile before turning his once diverted attention back out to the view displayed before him. It was a dazzling display of a darkened blue, cyan streaked night sky scattered with seemingly thousands of glittering, golden ringed stars. City lights gently flickered in and out of life, fleeting glimpses of passing traffic and dimly lit streetlights carried out into the far off distance before fading beyond viewpoint, seemingly lost into the vast expanse that was the surrounding universe. It was a scene that damien had always held a significant soft spot for, focus fixated straight ahead even as he listened to volt approach his side, before lowering himself into a semi comfortable position on the apartment complex rooftop where he had initially discovered his evidently exhausted companion. Aeryn, The taller, profusely older mechanical male had never been one to often stop and appreciate the smaller details in existence, but even he could understand damiens love for the nightscape, the still heavily armored officer lifting his head towards the sky to allow the wind to properly skim his face before releasing a brief, content exhale which had obviously been held in his chest for an elongated period of time due to how pleasant it felt to discard. 

"is it just me... Or are we not doing enough out there?"  
Damiens abrupt inquiry visibly caught Aeryn off guard, averting his gaze from the starlit sky above to allow himself to properly give damien himself a thorough once over, being able to intake every singular detail of his face since his scuffed, visored helmet sat comfortably against his left shin on the ground below. He looked damaged, beyond his still healing disfigurement from a few years prior, the worrisome sleep deprivation being so prevalent that it seemed to edge itself into every possible cease that was present on his dirtied face. Now, damien had always been a presentable male, and had never been one to outwardly show any signs of wear and tear if it was possible to conceal it, so his current state was deeply concerning. With no immediate reply from volt, damien turned to him almost expectedly, as of course, he was looking for input. Input that Aeryn was not entirely sure how to give.  
"There's only so much we can do.. " was the reply that volt eventually opted to offer to the smaller android, which in return, earned a small yet forcibly amused soft bout of laughter. Damien knew all too well that his partner was indeed correct. Things had never been easy around here, and there was only so much that the two of them could do to change that. The citadel was a gruelling place to reside for anyone. Not just the two of them, yet the current plan for improvement was not exactly turning out as hoped or as expected.  
"You know what i meant, Aeryn. Doesn't it scare you, hm? The deterioration, that is? We made progress at some point in the past, yeah, but now it just.. Seems to be going down the drain. Then there's Victor.. He's merely growing more paranoid by the second." 

This was sadly true, and Aéryn knew it. It was becoming increasingly difficult to remain in line around Victor, considering his constantly increasing suspicion of the stability of his founded society was nothing short of sky high. He was becoming frighteningly obsessive in his means of maintaining his security and physical defence measures and systems.  
"Aéryn... I'm starting to think he knows.. -"  
Damiens audible worried statement was abruptly cut short by a sudden, firm hand which was rested upon his shoulder, volt having reached out to grasp ahold of him in order to gain his attention, the taller man's gaze unsettlingly stern yet still somewhat gentle.  
"how could he know?"  
Volt had a point.  
It was unlikely that Victor would have any knowledge of either of their doings, yet matter how hard damien tried, he could never seem to push the petrifying thought from his mind. It was a thought that kept him awake at night for hours on end, hence why Aéryn had a tendency to discover him where the two of them were now placed, lost in his own thoughts and imagination. He'd always been a dreamer, Damien, and Aeryn couldn't stand it from time to time, because the smaller androids thoughts tended to run away with him from time to time, and it was not uncommon for him to find himself endlessly pondering possibilities that were extremely unlikely to happen.  
"He doesn't look at me like he used to.. He looks at me like he's.. Frightened. Like I've betrayed him." 

It didn't take long for damien to register the verbal error that he'd just made, and it caused him to cringe, exhaling a heavy breath as he brought up his hands in order to rest his head in them, and although he shouldn't have, volt laughed, giving the other man a brief pat on the shoulder before retracting his hand and letting it rest back at his side.  
"let me break the news to you, kid.. You have betrayed him. But you shouldn't feel bad about it. There's a real special place in hell for people like him, and you're helping put him there."  
That was the difference between the two of them. Aeryn never hesitated to speak his mind, regardless of whether he knew what consequences it would have, if any, whereas damien was careful with his words. He was a sensitive man, and if plagued him in more ways than one. The android knew that his gift to be able to feel genuine emotion was was a power to be appreciated, but from time to time, he contemplated whether he had been gifted or burdened with his ability. An ability that a good portion of the citadel population had been forcibly stripped of a long time ago. Aeryn, though, never seemed to harbour the same dilemma, yet damien knew that volt had been left to fend for himself for so long that he'd never had any choice other than to push down what he felt. Yet he had pushed it down for so long that that he'd lost his grip on his emotions altogether, and he'd never been able to pick them back up again after that. Volt was cold. He was reliable, yes, trustworthy, absolutely, but he was empty. A damaged void of a man with little to no ability to sympathize with the predicaments of others. By no fault of his own. His time in the citadel had molded his personality and shaped it this way, something that didn't ever seem to cross volts mind, but it bothered damien. It was unfair. This bleak, cruel society was unfair. 

With no response from the visibly guilty damien, aéryn took it upon himself to break the silence between the two of them, only to have the words that hadn't even left his lips shoved away by a sudden break in damiens posture, the android lifting his head from his hands and raking his fingers gently through his hair, the initially silent second officer turning his head so damaged eyes could meet with Aéryns, almost reading his thoughts.  
"i don't feel guilty, Aeryn. I don't know exactly how i feel, and that's part of the problem, but it... It isn't guilt."  
Either damien was lying through his teeth, or Aeryn had the wrong end of the stick.  
"Things aren't getting any better around here, are they? Not even you could deny that. It's all moving so slowly and i just... I wish it would end."  
Aeryn could, of course, understand how damien felt, although it wasn't in his nature to offer any words of reassurance. Well, not ones that he knew would help, anyway.  
"what's your point, Bryans-?" volt eventually asked, arching a brow at the unsettled smaller man, brows creased into a look of mixed confusion, concern and an odd sense of intrigue. Damien could speak intensely from time to time, and in those moments even Aeryn knew to listen to what he had to say, as the words would probably never be repeated. You either listened, or remained uninformed.  
"My point is that i don't wanna live like this.. No one does. The others might not have the capability to realise it, but they dont want to live a manipulated life. A controlled existence. They don't want to live under the thumb of a man who's able to twist their thoughts and feelings for his own satisfaction... I.. I don't either. Aeryn i.. Don't want to die, but i don't want to live like this anymore.. I don't know how much longer i can tolerate it.. " 

Damien was unsure as to how the older man would react to his sudden outburst of bottled up thoughts which had been trapped inside his mechanical brain for a good few months now, an almost ashamed expression now plastered over his features as his head dipped back towards the floor, eyes refusing to lift to meet the gaze of volt, who clearly hadn't expected such a display of.... Anger. Was it anger? He wasn't sure. But he could tell it had been pent up for quite the extended amount of time.  
Although when he did finally offer an answer, but wasn't what damien had been waiting for.  
"son.. Look at me.. " came Aéryns usual deep, gravelly tone of voice, although as damien gingerly lifted his head to oblige, he was met with volts hands on his face, gentle fingers scraping across his cheeks to ensure that bryans's attention was captured, which it was.  
His smile was almost bizarre looking, considering Aeryn was never usually one to smile, but it was so pleasant to see a genuine sliver of emotion in the aged man's face that damien wouldn't have dared to mention it, mismatched eyes staring almost apprehensively back at aeryn himself.  
Volt could tell he was frightened. And it was no surprise. Their current situation was fear inducing for anyone involved. Not just them. Yet it was manageable. And volt knew it. 

"it ain't gonna be like this forever, kid.. It ain't easy, i know, but you've got spirit in you. Spirit that can change things i probably never could. You're a good man, damien, and I'm proud of you. You just gotta hang in there. Stick with me, kid, and we'll change the world. I promise."


	2. Chapter 2

Wednesday, 5th January, 5312

10 years later

Damien could be an exceptionally heavy sleeper at times, and If it hadn't been for the utterly blinding ray of morning sunshine which crept in from the crack in the apartment blinds that morning, the dark haired male very possibly would have missed his opportunity slot to get himself in to work on time. it was a weary start to a Wednesday morning, as the android had encountered yet another practically sleepless night for the third time that week, tired eyes gradually flickering open only to be met with a sudden flash of sunlight which caused the still groggy android to grimace, gently raising an arm in order to shield himself from the painfully bright solar ray which had ever so rudely woken him from a peaceful state of sleep with an audibly dismayed groan. propping himself up on his left elbow, Bryans brought up a still stiff hand to lightly rub at his face in order to shake the static feeling which was still coursing itself through his body, and once his mismatched eyes had properly adjusted after almost being permanently blinded, his first point of focus was the suddenly prominent, uncomfortable stiffness of his spine as a result of the makeshift mattress underneath him being worn almost into non existence. The current sleeping arrangement which was the apartment attic was not exactly an ideal place of rest for Damien nor any of the other apartment residents, but it was currently all they had the time, money or materials to put together. So it would do. In taking a moment to stretch outwards to try and alleviate the unpleasant sensation in his lower back as well as the rest of his mechanical joints, Damien found his head turning sideways, and instead of being met with the sight of his works companion, Aeryn, either still sleeping soundly or already up and on his feet, the officer was met with the sight of an empty bed, which caused him to frown. The attic was empty of anyone but himself, which was unusual, yes, but not unheard of. Aeryn was a man who liked to waken early, after all. Eventually forcing himself to sit upwards, Damien flung back the tattered blanket which he'd been using for warmth so that it landed on the floor by his legs, which he then swung round so that he could pull himself out of bed altogether, raising his arms above his head momentarily before brushing himself off and reaching out for the case which he kept by his bedside which held his armoured uniform, gaze briefly flickering to the set of stairs which led up onto the rooftop above, a light wave of sudden nostalgia blooming in the androids chest. He didn't spend much time on the roof anymore, as he always found himself either far too fatigued, or far too busy. Things had been hectic lately, and it had stripped damien of most of, if not all of his free time as well as his ability to enjoy the nightscape like he used to. It was a shame, really, as it was the only time frame that Damien truly found it easy to relax, and it had been a considerable while since he had felt okay in himself due to the constant need to withhold a presentable and emotionless façade almost all of the time. 

In descending the stairs down into the ground floor of the makeshift living complex after trudging his tired legs into the second floor bathroom, taking the time to wipe his face, drag a brush through his hair and work himself into his uniform, hands still working to fasten his right shoulder guard into position, Bryans found the place to be seemingly absent of anyone but himself and a close friend of his, Michael, who appeared to be sleeping face down at his desk in front of his computer, yet this wasn't out of the ordinary. Michael was the techsavvy one out of the five residents who stayed there at that current moment, and it was the norm for him to remain awake for 24hours on end, tirelessly working on extensive software in order to break down and discard security systems. He was exceptional in the field, too, as after all, it had been Michael himself who had pulled Damien out of multiple systematic malfunctions. After securing his armour into place, Damien advanced quietly towards the desk where Michael was peacefully sleeping, before reaching over to gently rest a hand on his shoulder, the other on the back of his chair for support. "Hey.." he said softly, giving the other man a light yet still somewhat firm shake, earning an audibly unhappy grumble from the lips of the dark haired man on the table, sleepy eyes cracking open after a moment of visible mental debate, which caused an amused smile to grace Damiens lips. "Hey. Another late night, eh? what was it this time?" the android asked out of nothing but curiosity, only to be met with nothing but a smirk, which couldn't have meant anything even remotely positive. Damien watched with raised brows as Michael eventually made the effort to pull his head up from the uncomfortable looking wood which made up the countertop of his desk, hands promptly scrubbing across his tired features before he reached for the cup of cold coffee to his right, and in doing so, his eyes clocked the digital time displayed in the lower corner of his computer screen which was still on from the night before, and it earned a slight hum from his throat, turning his head to the armoured man behind him. "You better get goin' man. Or you gon' be late.." he commented, much to Damiens confusion, but it didn't exactly last long as Bryans himself lay his gaze on the time, and a shred of intense panic quickly punched him square in the gut. 7:45. His clock in time was at 8. With a muffled curse from his mouth, Damien gave Michael a quick pat on the shoulder, murmuring a brief thank you and promptly heading for the door. It was his own fault for not checking with the present time as soon as he had surfaced into consciousness that morning, although he didn't usually need to do so, so the thought never reached his mind. The lack of presence in the upstairs attic made sense now, as an early start was common around here, so everyone had already up and left to get on with whatever they had to be doing that day. That was when the realisation seemed to register with Damien just as he had set foot out into the street, and it caused him to lean backwards into the doorway so his eyes could meet with Michaels once more. "Hey, uh...where's Aeryn-?" he asked, Michaels head turning a little as he raised his cup of stale coffee to his lips, and his response really shouldn't have surprised Damien as much as it did. "Oh, he left without you."

"He left without me-?!"

Even in the early hours of the morning, the citadel was alive with bustling life. Cars, busses, trucks, and bikes filled the lanes of the downtown area streets just as people filled the pavements, weaving in and out between each other on their way either to or back from their place of work, shop barriers being pulled up in preparation for opening, some already laying open and being packed with citadel residents. From the early hours of the morning to the late hours of the night, the citadel was practically buzzing, and it unless you were specifically aware of any shady activity, you wouldn't have assumed anything was wrong. It looked, felt and seemed like a relatively normal place to live. With a brief moment of observation to ensure he was not being watched, Damien slipped from the entrance to the back alleyways of the citadel itself with a quickened pace to his step, helmet tucked neatly under his arm, boots clicking off the pavement as he advanced along his set path to the citadel fortress, an intimidatingly tall structure placed in the dead centre of the city layout, mercilessly looming above both the citizens and the surrounding buildings, discarding darkened shadows across the ground below where the structure itself blocked out the sunrays. It was an ugly building, really. Of course it was exceptionally constructed, and it seemed to blend perfectly with its neighbouring establishments, but there was something about it which made it appear out of place. In Damiens opinion anyway. Perhaps it was the re enforced surrounding wall which extended around the fortress and its courtyard and entrance areas, but then again, that was there for security, and security barriers weren't exactly supposed to look aesthetically pleasing. 

Beginning to draw away from the heaving crowds of the streets and managing to successfully avoid the congregations of pedestrians which had slowed his commute to work by a considerable amount of time, damien breathed a heavy sigh of relief to himself as he approached the main gate which he usually entered in the mornings, as he was still on time for now, regardless of stepping out the door with a 20 minute walk to make in 15. in lifting his head up to avert his gaze from the watch strapped to his wrist in order to enter the fortress grounds with still a few minutes to spare, Damien was greeted with a bizarre sight which he hadn't noticed as he'd approached, that sight being the absence of the fourth quadrent entrance barrier being completely and utterly non existent, the once dazzlingly blue beams of lethal energy disabled and out of sight, yet not out of mind. The gate to the quadrent was lined with several fortress soldiers, which was out of the ordinary for sure, as they were usually fixated on some other important matter of work, yet this wasn't the first time that this had happened, and Damien was sure he had a pretty decent idea of what the issue was, throwing his mind back to the partially unconscious male he'd found at his desk no longer than half an hour ago. Passing the extra soldiers down to heightened precautions and biting back a somewhat amused laugh as he was cleared for entry to the fortress, Bryans allowed himself to smile as he passed through the currently defective gates, the gravel below gently crunching underneath his boots as he made his way beyond the gates themselves and towards the open doors to the left quadrant entrance to Victor Coltons fortress where he, on the dot every day, picked up his roter for where he was to be posted for the day or for what he was to attend to on his 12 hour shift. 

In pushing open the door to the Quadrants back stationary room where the currently on duty androids came to pick up their duties for the day after quite peacefully travelling down the empty, white tiled hallways of the fortress ground floor, The first sight to meet Damiens eyes was the sight of Aeryn, and the fact that Volt had abandoned Bryans that morning without so much as a wakeup call immediately came flooding back to the smaller android, causing him to scowl at the sight of the other man, who looked up as the door was opened, a widened, almost smug grin quickly crossing his lips, situated casually over on the worn couch in the far corner of the room. "I knew you'd make it.." Volt stated as he moved to pull himself into an upright position, Damien avoiding his gaze altogether. "I could've been late" he pointed out, which was true, yes, but that was beyond Aeryns interests, and it was obvious how little he cared judging by the vague shrug of his broad shoulders. "But you weren't."

"Would it really have troubled you so direly to give me even so much as a shake?" was Damiens next question, eventually turning to face Aeryn after giving the board which displayed the soldiers assigned posts over on the other wall a brief once over, Aeryn offering a shortened roll of his eyes as he pulled himself to his feet. "Alright, ill just give you a good ol' kick to the back next time. how about that? will it stop you complaining?" he questioned, the immediate laugh his words earned from Damien being enough to bring a subtle smile to his face, Damien himself folding his arms neatly across his chest. "Least ill be awake then, eh? Did you speak to Michael?" he eventually asked, briefly wondering if Aeryn knew of the mans recent work, Volt giving a shake of his head. "Nah, he was out cold. didnt wake him either. saw his work out front, though. Impressive.." he admitted, to which Bryans nodded. "The man's got talent...We're so close to a real break through here, i know we are. well...he is." Damien was correct. Michael, in all his technologically experienced glory was an exceptional advantage in their operation, and without him, they wouldn't have been even as remotely close to where they were. There arose a momentary silence between the two present men, before Aery asked the question they'd both been thinking. "Do you think Colton will be pissed about the gate-?"

"Oh absolutely."

Victors office was eerily silent, The only sound audible to the ears being the gentle, repeated ticking of the mounted clock over above the doors placed forth of the Leviathans desk, accompanied by the intermittent song of quietened birds which sat beyond the sparklingly clean glass pane of the office window. Distant streams of sunlight snaked their way in through the arched, translucent structure carved into the centre of the marbled wall to the rear of the room itself, casting pale, gold tinged pools of scattered light across the tiled floor below and splaying brightened ribbons of a warm, comforting glow across the paled face of the royal figure currently placed neatly in his chair directly infront of the glass in which the sun was allowed to enter through.  
It was a pleasant escape for Victor, A pleasant escape away from the hectic reality which was his existence in this extensive, complex and utterly tiring universe. It was the only time that he could ever really allow himself to dip out of his constant state of business induced stress which seemed to plague him in a never-ending downpour of relentless , sleepless nights and weary mornings after tirelessly straining over reoccurring projects and conferences. it wasn't a particularly easy way of living, yet the fleeting moments of peace to himself were a constant pick me up for the royal, and without them, it would have been no surprise if he'd come crumbling down in exhaustion a long time ago. Although, it seemed that he was never allowed more than a few brief, unimportant seconds truly to himself before the state of enjoyment he took in the lack of presence of others was rudely interrupted by a sudden beckon for his attention elsewhere in the complex of his fortress, which never failed to get on his last nerve exceptionally quickly. It appeared that he was always needed for something, causing his hopes of gaining even an hour for personal space to be viciously thrown aside and forcibly shattered into pieces.

The sound of the heavy, platinum office doors being pushed open was the first sound to pierce the shrouding silence which plagued the inside space of Victor Coltons usually unoccupied workspace, followed by the echoing of weighted steel boots against the tiled floor below, the sound alone being enough for Colton himself, placed reasonably comfortably behind his desk, to register not exactly whom had entered, but to register that it was one of his many fortress attendants without having to turn to ensure he was correct. He listened to the office doors swing shut again mere moments after they had initially opened, closing with a softened click that barely made it to his ears without fading into the creeping emptiness which began to present itself once more much like before anyone had entered the office in the first place, and if victor hadn't chosen to speak in order to address the soldier who had decided to disturb his masters state of blissful peace, no words would have been exchanged between the two of them. The androids, victors attendants, that was, were the backbone of Coltons society, and although they could be profusely inconvenient at times in terms of their decisions to present information to their superior at occasionally indecent moments, without them, the stability of the surrounding citadel would be in a state of catastrophic inadequacy, so victor could never have offered a complaint towards any of them. Eventually taking it upon himself to turn in his seat so piercingly blue eyes could meet with the standing soldier who had taken it upon himself to enter Coltons office in the first place, Victor, the previously mentioned figure of royalty in this bizarrely run place of residence, allowed a curt, thinly drawn smile to grace across his mouth, raising a hand to rest it upon his own chin in mock interest towards the matters yet to be presented to him from the present android whos only form of visible identification was the serial digits printed on the front of his chestplate: 4756.

He was a strikingly handsome man, Colton. His Porcelain flesh was an almost fragile shade of pale pink, captivatingly pigmented eyes outlined in neatly drawn eyeliner, lips painted a deep raven and tainted with gold. His features seemed to be shaped in a seemingly impossible, flawless manner, the cosmically dark hair styled perfectly upon his head framing said features without a strand held out of place. He was an impossibly beautiful man, and he knew it, not that there was really anyone other than himself who was able to appreciate it, considering his unearthly beauty was accompanied by a truly hideous pattern of behavioural inconsistencies. He was a cruel ruler, one who held little to no true regard for the health or well-being of his captivated citadel inhabitants, his main concern being consistently focused on what influential power he currently held, and most of all, what he could do with said power.  
"Speak." was the beckon which Victor eventually offered to the still silent officer who was placed a mere few inches away from his superior, and that permission was all the soldier needed for clearance to state the business in which he had come here to address, gloved hands reaching upwards in order to gently lift the helmet visor which had initially shielded his eyes from view so he could properly meet the gaze of the man he was conversing with. eye contact was basic respect when it came to addressing victor. it was novice knowledge to both the citizens and coltons personal workers.  
"The barrier to the inside sector of quadrant four has been torn down again, sir. Ranger was made aware of it first this morning . He stumbled across it on his way in through the main gate."

Victors facial features rapidly contorted into a look of visible dismay at the words that had just met his ears, it clearly not being what he'd wanted to hear from his attendant, yet it was an issue which needed to be addressed at one point or another. an utterly exasperated sigh tumbled from the evidently disheartened hybrid as he lifted heavily ringed hands to place them on the arm rests of his seat,pulling himself to his feet and brushing himself off after doing so. the constant faults and breaks in the fortress security barriers was beginning to irk him more than they should have, and his ever decreasing patience was becoming dangerously thin. "Even with the added encryptions?" Colton eventually questioned after taking a brief moment to regain his composure after his fleeting jolt of heightened anger, leaning forth over his desk a tad in waiting for his inquiry to be answered, yet the answer was not the one that he had initially been hoping for, despite knowing he was bound to be disappointed, 4756 giving a gentle shake of his head "Its still not enough to keep them out."

"Damn!" with a sudden, amplified bang which resounded back off of the office walls as Coltons tightly balled fist met with the marble desk in front of him, jarring the contents which were present upon the counter, it was clear to see that this unfortunate turn of events was highly inconvenient for the royal, promptly turning on his heel to face the opposite direction in an intense moment of thought towards the now present matter he'd just been burdened with. The infuriating kicker to the predicament was the fact that Colton didn't have to request the names of the culprits behind the cyber disablement, as it was always the same group of utterly tedious rebellious punks who had been a considerable nuisance to Victor since the very beginning of the citadels existence. it never mattered now many digital benders Colton found himself tirelessly engaging in to attempt to figure out how his measures of personal security tended to be easily broken through like they were almost non existent time and time again, as he never came up with a logical explanation. That, and his multiple attempts to excessively upgrade his systems firewall were constantly put to shame embarrassingly easily, and having a fool made of him was something that victor did not take lightly to. Before victor could offer his possibly extraordinarily vile opinion on the blood boiling spanner in the works, 4756 unintentionally cut him short, taking a very slow, cautious step forwards to rest merely a few inches away from his masters desk reaching to rest a hand upon it, arching a singular, dark raven brow upwards in question towards his own statement. "Should we restore the barrier again-?"

victor spun in his place so violently that 4756 wasn't entirely sure whether he was going to be met with a fist to the face for his own stupidity, which he seemed to become aware of shortly after he'd spoken, the leviathan using his dominant hand to reach over and curl slender fingers around the exposed undershirt poking from the androids armoured chest, giving him a sharp tug forwards to ensure he had his undivided attention. "What are you, defective?" he quite harshly inquired, his usually quietened and silky tone laced with a viciously intimidating edge which somewhat resembled the ugly hiss of an angered snake, the understandably unsettled android giving a swift shake of his head in silent apology, grasping onto the desk in front of him to keep himself from being pulled over it with the force of the tug he'd been subjected to, only for victor to release him a moment later, stepping back and raising a hand to rub at the bridge of his nose in a visibly exasperated manner, allowing 4756 the opportunity to take a much needed retreat to a safe distance away from his superior. "Of course i want the barrier restored. What do you suggest we do, allow it to lay open and give the rebels blatant access to the fortress? is that what you're telling me, boy?" 

This was not what 4756 had intended to imply, and this was certainly not how he had intended for this altercation to pan out. Admittedly, he'd known fine well that the information would spark some sort of discomfort with the leviathan, but to have him practically blow up about it was completely and utterly out of character. Victor was usually such a calm and collected man, one who tended to handle what was thrown at him maturely and with little to no hassle. Then again, Colton had never been an emotionally or mentally stable man, so it shouldn't have come as too much of a shock that he was now struggling to maintain his outwardly pacifistic demeanour which was truly nothing more than a well threaded together façade, yet a façade that was very slowly yet surely beginning to come undone piece by piece. "No." came the standing officer once more, yet victor had truly heard enough already. The ever so slightly taller male raised a singular, slender finger to silence the officer in his moment of thought as to what actions he could possibly take in terms of retaliation towards the cyber attack, as his feeble attempts to rebuild his cyber security were clearly not enough to keep them safe from unwanted alterations. "Are increased numbers at the gate?" Victor eventually asked, to which 4756 nodded, victor being evidently pleased by this. "If it's necessary, i could-" the android was cut off yet again, Victors plan of action having been decided in his head altogether, his cold and hardened gaze meeting with the officer in front of him one last time.

"Bring me all the status files for the surrounding officers. I'll reach out to you soon afterwards and want all of my chosen officers brought in tomorrow and briefed on the plan of action for the beginning of Operation X203. If the rebels wont exit their safe place to face me personally then we'll come to their safe place to face them."

It was a plan that Colton had been refraining from engaging in for as long as possible, as it wouldn't be a clean or simple operation. the rebels were going to fight back, yet considering the fact that Colton had been made a fool of one to many times now, his retaliation was not going to be a simple intimidation tactic. There would be extensive Chaos, and the leviathan knew it, but his need for asserted dominance was once again clouding his sense of reasonable judgement. 4756 was in no place to question his masters words, so with a curt nod of his head in understanding with a simple "yes sir." from his lips as he turned on his heel and exited the office as asked, allowing the doors to swing shut behind him with another resounding, ever so gentle click, the sound of his footsteps fading back down the hall which plunged the office back into it's eerie state of silence.


	3. Chapter 3

There was really only two things present in this world that gave Michael the energy to continue existing in this life: Coffee, and the desirable feeling of being able to sleep where he wanted when he wanted with no one to question him or his actions. Well, that and his wife and six year old daughter, but that was a different type of motivation. After being awoken from his somehow incredibly comfortable position at his desk that morning, had it been up to his still somewhat exhausted self, he would have laid his head right back down on the countertop in front of him and drifted back off into unconsciousness yet again without so much as a thought to spare over the matter, yet much like victors inability to gain a moment of peace to himself, such a privilege was clearly unavailable to him considering the fact that just as he was about to do as planned, mere moments after Damien had stepped out the front entrance to make his rushed commute to work, the apartment door was rather forcibly kicked open, causing it to slam against the wall to the left, and causing Michael to jolt back up into an upright position after his head had just about met with its temporary pillow. Blinking in evident surprise, the sleep deprived man had been prepared to reach over and grab his coffee mug to use as his first object of defence considering his first thought of explanation for the sudden disturbance was that his fate had come to kick him in the teeth and Coltons soldiers had decided to show their ugly mechanical faces, but he was entirely wrong. wide eyed and ready for a heated altercation, Michael was met with the calming sight of none other than his marital partner Catherine, who had used her foot to open the front door due to her arms being heavily occupied with the required living supplies for the week. The seated male allowed himself to relax at what his eyes were met with, wearily pulling himself to his feet in preparation to assist his wife with the gathered boxes of materials, only to have her stop him, the red headed female setting down what she was carrying onto the floorboards beneath her feet and turning to her oh so tired husband with quite the irritated expression creased into her pretty features, although why she looked so furiously pissed off was a mystery to Michael. Or at least it was for a few, short and sweet moments where he remained blissfully unaware of what he had done to cause such an angered state of mind. "I wouldn't bother. it's all done. Even though you were supposed to do it yesterday." The female then snarked, and the realization almost immediately hit Michael like a brick to the face. It had been his turn to venture out of the back alleyways to collect what was needed for the inhabitants of the residential area, but he had been so caught up in his current working project that the thought had completely slipped out of his mind, and it had quickly been lost from his thoughts altogether. he cringed, raising a hand to his mouth to offer an awkward clear of his throat, about to present his significant other with the sincerest apology he could possibly muster, which wouldn't have been that endearing, when out of the corner of his eye, his attention was beckoned to something else. 

"Hey, easy there, let me help.."

Michael was met with the sight of Cassie, his still incredibly young offspring, struggling to make her way up the apartment steps with a reasonably oversized box clutched in-between her tiny arms, gently trying to blow her mouse brown, shoulder length hair out of her face with each step she took so she could properly see where she was going, yet to no avail. in Michael breaking her concentration, Cassie looked upwards, quite visibly in an irritated state of frustration over her current situation, only for her face to break out into a widened smile at the sight of her father, who had already leaned downwards in order to take a hold of the what she was carrying in order to pull it into his own grip with minimal effort. he had to admit, she took after him, despite her not being his biological child. Although the fact that Cassie was a rescued child who had been pulled from a dire situation out over on the far reaches of the citadel didn't mean that Michael cared for her any less than he would have if she had been his own. Because none of that mattered. Family was family around here, regardless of where anyone had originated from. 

Bringing the box that he'd just taken from his daughter over to the kitchen table and setting it down, Michael turned to his wife once more, who was busying herself in removing a temporarily fixated strip of metal which she had secured to her right temple in order to safely leave the apartment that morning, and once she had done so, she moved to discard it next to the box that had just been placed on the table, the sight of it being enough to spark a pit of dread in Michaels stomach. It had been a long term project, figuring out how to disable these devices, but it was harder than it looked, and Michael was coming under extensive pressure to figure out how to shut them off once and for all. It was only a small device, a thin strip of metal as mentioned, yet it was what allowed the residents of the citadel and the residing androids to remain under Victor Coltons thumb. It was what allowed him to remain in control. it was surgically implanted into the victims skull on the right side of the head, and in doing so, it enabled Colton to manipulate the wearers thoughts and emotions, therefore controlling their living habits, actions, likes and interests and behavioural patterns all from one singular yet enlarged control unit in the very centre of his enclosed fortress, hence why most citadel inhabitants harboured similar traits and personalities, considering it would have been far too much work for colton to tailor each device to distribute entirely different individualities. it was known simply as an NRD, or a Neurological Replacement Device, and anyone caught living without one, so anyone living with the ability to think freely, therefore having the ability to rebel against Victors cruel methods, was promptly apprehended and either fitted with an NRD, or...well...no one knew what happened to them. They merely disappeared off the face of the planet without a word, never to be seen again. This highlighted the reasoning behind the faux devices that Michael had manufactured around 15 years ago, as citadel androids were progammed to immediately seize any citadel resident spotted without one, and as long as the rebels displayed a device, real or not, the androids couldn't and wouldn't touch them. It was genius, yet the fact that Michael still hadnt come to a conclusion on how to disable them was worrying, and even the presence of Damien or Aeryn couldnt help him, considering that not even Victors androids had access to the control unit in which the NRDs were programmed and monitored from, although the two of them were a godgiven miracle who's NRDs had somehow been misplaced during construction, and since victor didnt have the time to cross check every one of his soldiers, the missing devices went unnoticed, therefore the pair remained emotionally aware. Though despite their help, the task of disabling the devices remained ongoing, as unlike the fortress security barriers which were surprisingly easy to break through, The cyber encryptions based around the NRD systems was exceptionally tight, and as much as Michael hated to admit it, he wasn't even close to breaking through them. 

"How was it today..?" Michael eventually found himself asking, Catherine leaning back against the table behind her as she raised a free hand to gently rake her fingers through her reddish, waist legnth hair, releasing a heavy, audibly tired sigh as she watched her daughter sift through the bags and boxes of items they had collected together in nothing but curiosity. "Same as always...the place is crawling with those mechanical fuckers. Still can't shake the feeling that one day one of them is going to figure me out and grab me.." She admitted, which surprisingly brought a smile to Michaels face. Catherine had always been an overthinker, always preparing for the worst possible outcome, which yes in a sense, was understandable, but it was amusing in more ways than one, and it was also beneficial. It meant she was cautious, but also feisty. She resented Colton with a fiery passion which burned intensely within her on a daily basis, and although no one around here seemed to have any sort of soft spot for the leviathan, Catherine seemed to hate him the most, and the only reason that she hadn't gotten her hands on him yet was because he never left the fortress. "Eh, they don't have the sense. you know that." Michael eventually said. raising a hand to gently rub at the back of his neck in thought, and Catherine knew he was right. The androids didn't know better than to do what they were programmed to do, and interrogating random members of the public was not part of their protocol, so she really had no reason to worry. Yet it was a feeling that was mutually shared amongst the rebellious residents who occupied the backstreets. They lived dangerous lives, all of them, and a close friend or known neighbour going missing, never to be seen again was not unheard of. It happened more often than people would have liked to admit. Yet there was nothing that could be done about it. Once someone fell into the hands of the government, it was over. They weren't coming back. 

Just from looking at her, Michael could tell that there was something on his partners mind, as of course, with being around her for so many years, he had grown to to be able to recognise the ins and outs of her every emotion, and he could tell that what she was thinking wasn't exactly positive. Although it never was. "What're you thinking, eh?" Michael eventually took it upon himself to ask, although he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the answer. Catherine could be intense in her ways of speaking, and she never really tended to register that there was a time and place for her outbursts, mostly away from their daughter, but then again, it was Michaels own fault for asking. "Nothing.." Catherine responded, still leaning back against the table behind her, eyes fixed on Cassie who had situated herself out on the front doorstep with her back to the two adults, busying herself with ...something she had probably picked up off the ground. She was naturally curious, as any child her age just so happened to be, focus completely averted from her parents. Michael was not convinced by the answer he was given, so he shifted his body so that he could turn and place himself directly in front of his wife, more or less so she didn't have as much of an excuse to ignore his disbelief. The mans face was twisted into an unconvinced expression, Catherine reaching up to run her fingers through her hair yet again, tired eyes meeting with her husbands. "I'm weary, Michael. I'm exhausted." She admitted, yet Michael could have guessed that without even looking at her. Her features were sunken, eyes ringed with heavy bags, skin pale and dotted with breakout spots which were probably a result of the lack of sleep she was getting. It was the first time that Michael had really, properly looked at her in a long time, and now that he'd done so, he could truly see how unhappy she was. yet he couldn't blame her. He was unhappy here. As was everyone else, but most, if not all, had learned to come to terms with the fact that they were all stuck here for now, and so had Catherine at first, but now she was getting impatient. She was longing for her escape, and it was beginning to show in her every action and in every word that left her rosy lips. They had been here for a good 15 years, after all, and were no closer to getting out than when they had first arrived. "Then here, why don't you take a moment to yourself and lie down or s-"

"That's not what i meant, Michael.." in bringing up a hand to her forehead in exasperation, Catherines tone edged into brief hostility before fading out of it just as quickly, which caught her partner off guard. "Then what did you mean-?" He asked, brow raised, briefly glancing to Cassie to make sure her attention hadn't been captivated, Catherine pressing her lips together for a moment in thought towards how she was going to word her next statement. "I'm tired of this...of all this. living here. Living under constant supervision and living in fear of being caught twenty four seven. Why is that so hard for you to understand? I want out." She wasn't entirely sure if her point had come across correctly, but at least she knew what she was trying to say, but this wasn't the first time she had spouted her dismay on her current living status. Michael understood, of course, but Catherines constant need to complain about their situation was beginning to irk him. "I know, cath..but we can't get out.." He stated, but the redhead was having none of it. "No, we can. You merely refuse to allow it." 

This was true, yet the two of them had had this converation countless amounts of times and even the mere possibility of it being brought up again was enough to cause Michaels eyes to roll. It wouldn't have been an easy task, packing up their things and leaving the citadel behind considering the constant surveillance which surrounded the planetary entrance boarder, as well as the residing soldiers , but it wasn't impossible, and it was an idea that Catherine had set out on the table a few years ago, but Michael had almost immediately crossed it off due to the fact that his role in the rebellion against Victor was highly significant, and he couldn't just up and leave everyone behind without a word or without an explanation. Well, he could, but he wouldn't. Because he was too invested in this to do such a thing. Although as a result of his refusal to leave, the worry that he would wake up one morning and Catherine would be gone and that she would have taken Cassie with her was a thought that plagued him in reoccuring nightmares. He wouldn't put it past her. It was a constant possibility that michael had every right to worry about. "You know why we can't do that..you're not being fair" 

"I'm not being fair-? i'm not being fair because i want to live a happy existance? because i want Cass to live a happy existence-? because i want you to live a happy existence? Michael this is no place to live for anyone. Not just us." Catherine had changed her stance now, having left her place on the table and now beginning to make her way towards the apartment stairs, only to have Michael reach out, taking a firm yet still somewhat gentle grip on her arm, halting in her tracks. "hey, listen to me. We won't be here much longer, alright? I know we wont. I'm so close to a breakthrough here..You just gotta trust me.." The expression plastered across his wifes face as she turned towards him once more was enough to cause any hope of lifting her spirits to plummet to the ground and shatter, Catherine pulling her arm from her husbands grip and raising a hand to offer a dismissive wave in response to his words. "No you aren't. Maybe you were once, but not now. None of us are close to getting anywhere." And with that she left, the sound of her shoes on the wooden stairs quietly fading as she left Michael standing there, alone with the realisation that she was probably right. His work in the past had been phenominal, but now that Victor had upped his game, it was getting harder to stay one step ahead of the leviathan, and more often than not, Victor was one step ahead of him much to his disappointment and frustration. After watching his wife disappear up the steps, Michael turned on his heel, tearing away from the urge to sit right back down at his computer and busy himself with the continuation of his cyber warfare against the Citadel royal, instead beginning to busy himself with digging through the boxes of supplies that had been brought in by Catherine and their daughter not too long ago. There wasn't much, but that was because until either Damien or Aeryn came back with added supplies, there wasnt many funds to spend on what was needed. The boxes themselves were filled with basic items, bread, milk, cereal, a few packets of cookies for Cassie, essentials, really, Michaels hand closing around one of the cookie packets to lift it from the box. He then turned on his heel in order to make his way over to where his daughter was still situated on the front step outside, and at the sound of his approaching footsteps, Cassie turned her head with a softened smile, a smile which never failed to soften Michael's mood, regardless of what that was.   
"Hey, kid.. " he said as he sat himself down beside the smaller female, giving her a gentle nudge with his shoulder after doing so. "How're we doing, eh?" he then asked, which earned a shrug of Cassie's shoulders. She didn't exactly know how she felt. It was a shame, really, that someone of her age had already seen so much. Seen things that no child should ever have to see, and it had clearly stuck with her. She was quiet, and it had taken her a year or two to warm up to living with Michael and Catherine, along with Damien and Aeryn, yet despite seeming to be quite content in herself and her situation, it was obvious that this wasn't the case. It was clear that she knew all too well that things weren't exactly how they should have been, and that she knew their predicament was worthy of concern, regardless of the constant reassurance she gained from her adoptive parents. She'd heard their conversations. The things they discussed, and she knew they were living an almost lethal lifestyle.   
"Y'know.. I think I've got something to make you feel better.. " Michael eventually opted to say to the visibly unsettled child, who had obviously been listening in to what her parents had been conversing about less than five minutes ago.   
The sight of the cookie packet was enough to lift Cassie's spirits to a reasonable level, and her response to the gift was what Michael had been searching for. A sliver of genuine happiness in the girl who he strived to protect. Who everyone in their odd little family strived to protect. She was motivation for most, if not all of them. 

After taking the item from her father and beginning to pull the packet apart with her little fingers, Cass looked upwards to Michael, blinking in curiosity towards the words she had heard earlier. "We're not leaving..?" she eventually questioned, which caused her father's heart to dip downwards in briefly visible dread, it being a question that he didn't want to answer for obvious reasons. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth momentarily in contemplation as to whether he should tell her the truth or not, but then again, he knew that she would have been direly crushed if he'd told her the reality of the possible outcomes, which were possibly going to be utterly disastrous for all of them. Again, she was only a child. It wouldn't have been fair.   
Reaching outwards to snake an arm around the brown haired girls shoulders, Michael pulled her close, leaning sideways to rest his cheek atop her head, struggling to maintain an honest sounding demeanor as he spoke. "Sure we are.. We're just.. Things are a little difficult right now there's been some... Little setbacks. But it's nothing we can't handle, and i don't want you worrying about it.. " he explained, and of course he despised himself for outwardly lying to Cass, but he would rather she had a sense of hope than a shattered reality. It was a grim outlook, and he didn't want her to see the worst of it.   
"When..?" Was the next question that was asked of Michael, but he didn't know. He didn't know how much longer they would be stuck here, or now much longer any of them would have to endure the constant torture which was their existence, so the most he could do was offer her the most uplifting yet still rather vague response he could muster, giving her shoulder a light squeeze as he lifted his head to cast his gaze out and upwards towards the sky, his gaze following the shadowed patterns the sun casted on the nearby buildings, a gut feeling of complete and utter dread crawling within his stomach. 

"Soon... "


	4. Chapter 4

When it came to the scorching afternoon heat which radiated through the citadel in reoccurring, mercilessly stifling waves, the only time that anyone could ever really gain relief from the overpowering rays of the sun above was when the afternoon gradually began to fade into the early stages of the evening, and even with all the side windows rolled down as far as they could possibly go, the inside of Aeryns squad car was no better than outside. it was, in fact, considerably worse. Stationed on the inner pavement of a downtown overhead bridge only a couple of hours into their shift, neither Aeryn or Damien were particularly happy in their current state, especially since the two were persistently clad in heavyweight armour throughout all hours of the day. It was arguably unfair, but neither had the means to complain about it. It was currently only 12:34pm, so neither of the two present soldiers were due any shield from the sun anytime soon, and their current position atop the overbridge was a permanent post for that days shift, unless there was a need for them to move, such as taking pursuit, but both of them knew that that was a highly unlikely possibility. Damien, placed in the passengers seat, was leaned over towards the open window with his arm hanging out the car itself in meek attempts to gain even a little relief from the heat of the car as the sun blazed in through the windshield, the cars on the relentlessly busy bridge road just beyond his vehicle door continuously passing at seemingly excessive speeds, and to be honest, the android wouldn't have been too surprised if the chair he was sitting in was pulled with him when he stepped out the car for the first time that day. "I Swear.." Bryans began as he turned his head towards Aeryn, who was beside him in the drivers seat, leaned backwards with his boots pressed to the dashboard in front of him, arms folded across his chest, seemingly in a similar state of heat induced misery, but then again, Bryans couldn't have been certain that it was as a result of the heat, considering the fact that Aeryn displayed a permanently pissed off demeanour. "My case-fan is broken." He then finished, bringing up a hand to his forehead in visible discomfort, before momentarily frowning, directing another, this time evidently inquisitive expression towards his partner. "Do I have a case-fan-?" 

The look Aeryn gave him was both amusing and subtly hurtful, as Damien almost immediately registered that he had asked a seemingly ridiculous question, but then again, all of his questions were stupid in Aeryns opinion. "Damien..." he murmured, earning a humoured laugh from Bryans himself. "If you didn't have a Case-fan you'd have shorted out years ago.." Volt said as he turned back to the view beyond the car windshield, yet not without a subtle grin which threatened to tug at the corner of his lips. Damien was intelligent, yes, but with some of the things he came out with, you wouldn't have assumed that was true. A case fan was a necessity for most mechanical structures, really. To keep them from overheating, that was, and Aeryn saw it as basic knowledge. With some of the questions Damien asked, Volt worried about him, although the older officer had to admit to himself that he did enjoy the others company, and although he would never have given Damien the benefit of the doubt by telling him, he always preferred to have Bryans to converse with, regardless of how silly their conversations could get, as he had endured more than a few solo shifts in the past, and it had never been a pleasant experience. It was a lonely and excruciatingly slow 12 hours when you had no one to talk to for the duration of your shift, the only means of verbal interaction being the occasional radio update from the monitor fixed to the dashboard of Aeryns car, or the odd inquiry or request for directions from a citadel resident when Volt was stationed on foot. When he really took the time to think about it, Aeryn had always preferred the shifts where he was placed on street watch, as he was able to move from post to post at certain hours of the day, and he was able to converse with others, even if it was just for a few fleeting seconds. At first, though, when he had initially been informed his assisting partner would be Damien, Volt hadn't been happy. Like any other law enforcement programme, newly placed officers were classed as rookies, and assigned to higher ranking officers, and Volt had seen him as nothing but a clueless burden at first, yet over the course of their work days together, and in coming to be made aware of the fact that Bryans also had no NRD, they had become significantly closer, and volt wouldn't have wanted anyone else at his side.

Like most places, the afternoon sun reached its peak at around 12pm, and after that it very gradually began to make its slow and steady descent to allow the evening to creep in, and it couldn't come fast enough. Despite this, it was pleasant weather compared to the treacherous conditions which could very occasionally plague the Citadel in terms of vicious thunderstorms, rain which mercilessly battered off the ground below, and surprisingly, it could get extremely cold extremely easily, although that was rare and not anticipated, as it was extremely difficult to function in. That was the only time that anyone would have been thankful to be stuck in a squad car for most of the day, considering it was fitted with air vents which could emit both hot and cold air. The two androids were stationed where they were currently placed more often than not, or when they weren't positioned on foot, and they were always placed together, which was a blatant miracle. Aeryn was short tempered, and Damien knew that he wouldn't have been able to cope if he had been constantly stuck with one of Victors mindless drones. it would've driven him insane. Before Bryans' initial construction, Aeryn had been partnered with the only other independent android who existed in the midst of the citadel, Ranger, and they'd had a similarly close relationship to the one between Damien and Aeryn, yet after a few months Ranger was re positioned to a specialised unit based on the other side of the citadel, and neither Aeryn or Damien saw him too much anymore, although he remained a trustworthy friend, Volt being stationed on his own for a little while before being landed with Bryans. Surprisingly, Volt could actually tolerate Damien, although his actions suggested otherwise. Bryans never took it personally, as he knew it was merely the way Aeryn was as a person, and who was he to complain about that? He was a decent man, so it didn't matter. "You adore me, Aeryn.." Was what Damien decided to break the silence with, Causing a loudened snort to escape Aeryns mouth. "Yeah you're alright, shut your face."

When he really stopped to think about it, there were aspects of his profession that Damien actually enjoyed. Despite the grim circumstances that surrounded both himself, his companion and the citadel itself, Bryans had to admit his shifts with Aeryn were what kept him going in a sense. The citadel wasn't home to him, but Volt made it tolerable, regardless of how utterly snarky he could get from time to time, more or less when he hadn't gained enough sleep. Androids were designed with less of a need for rest, more or less so they could carry out more work with less spaces in-between, and every so often it came to the point where they were overworked so severely that it was a struggle to even remain standing. But it was manageable, yet only because they had means of support. Not just from each other, but from the residing rebels which they had become unbreakably close with over the years. Leaning his body sideways so he could cast his eyes over the railing of the bridge their vehicle was placed on, Damien let his gaze briefly skim over the passing traffic below, before lifting it from the ground and trailing it upwards to the looming skyscrapers which towered above the squad car in an almost threatening manner, disappearing into the thinly formed clouds which littered the sky sparingly in forms of little white clusters. As much as the Citadel was an ugly place to live in terms of it being built on manipulation, it was spectacularly constructed, and was indeed aesthetically pleasing to look at. It was a grid based city, as most cities were nowadays, the layout being built around Coltons fortress which was placed in the dead centre of the planets top section, and the more he thought about it, the more Damien registered he could've quite possibly lived a peaceful existence here if it wasn't formed and thriving under such sadistic means. The people were pleasant, and there were never any altercations between them and Citadel officers, but that was because officers were forcibly programmed to be docile with citizens, and citizens were forcibly brainwashed into being unquestionably respective of the officers, therefore there were never any problems. The citadel guards were merely there to re enforce citadel laws when it came to the outcasts. The rebels. The ones who refused to follow orders, the ones who were the fuel behind the sporadic riots which had occurred throughout the existence of their residence. Damien had always hated being on the frontline of riot control, placed in the midst of a first response armed unit, considering he had never held any ill intentions towards rioters, as he was close friends with more than a few of them. A Citadel riot had been the cause of his facial disfigurement, something which had occurred a few years ago when he had been mistaken for another officer, and he hadn't been able to raise his shield fast enough to deflect the tub of battery acid which had been flung in his direction. it had caused him months of discomfort, and he had never truly figured out who had been the culprit, but it was history now, despite the lasting damage that it had caused him, and despite the fact that he sometimes tended to catch sight of himself in the mirror and cast his mind back to the initial incident, as anyone would have. It was never pleasant to think about, but it was inevitable since it had impacted his life so significantly, although it was never spoken about too much, which Bryans was thankful for, despite the occasional check up from people, yet he didn't mind that. 

With the afternoon hours ticking onwards to bring forth the onset of the evening, It was yet another uneventful shift, which neither of the androids tended to object to, yet it was expectedly boring from time to time, such as now, and in all honesty, Bryans was beginning to lose feeling in his rear end due to how long he had been sitting inside Aeryns squad car, the two having only stepped out once throughout the day to purchase food for their lunch break only to immediately return to their vehicle and return back to their bridgetop post. Volt had pulled out of his parking space a couple of minutes before the end of shift to begin their return to the fortress's vehicle section, and If the journey back to their residence had been significantly longer, he would have driven home after each shift, but it wasn't exactly drive worthy, therefore the car stayed at work, Damien remaining with his arm out the rolled down window as the car rumbled along its set path, the cooler air beyond the vehicle being a pleasant relief from the previous uncomfortable temperatures outside. The radio was off, leaving the two in verbal silence, the only means of background noise being the wind as it whipped over the cars hood only to be left behind in the slowly disappearing city streets to the rear. Aeryn could tell that Damien was tired, and Bryans could tell the same about Volt, but then again, the uneventful shifts could sometimes be the most draining. The two of them were left to each other, and although they had their moments where their own company was all they needed, it wasn't rare for them to enter individual deepened states of overthinking, which led to dampened moods and dwindling conversations, watching in silence as the society splayed out before them carried onwards in remaining blissful unawareness as to the faux nature it was founded upon, exchanging nothing but brief glances as a silent welfare check before returning to not conversing with each other yet again. 

Damiens attention was captured by a fleeting hand on his shoulder, turning his head away from the window to his right and away from the darkening sky to face Volt, who had removed a gloved hand from the steering wheel in front of him in order to beckon for his co workers gaze, which he gained. "You alright, pal?" Was The Question that Damien was offered, Aeryn placing his hand back on the steering wheel as he spoke, narrowed eyes fixed firmly on the road laid out ahead, yet Bryans knew that the others focus was on him, giving a slight nod of his head as he leaned his elbow on the car door beside him, resting his cheek on his closed fist. "Yeah I'm alright.." He admitted almost gingerly, as it wasn't exactly the whole truth, but it was all he was willing to give for now, watching as their vehicle approached the entrance gates to the fortress they had initially started their shift at just less than 12 hours ago. "Weary, but alright." He then finished, and although he was given no response, he knew Volt understood, and he knew that he was in a similar boat. He was simply to stubborn to admit it, as always, Damien observing silently as they were both given clearance to enter the fortress and continued on their way to disengage from their positions.

The cars engine eventually came to an abrupt stop as the keys were tugged from the ignition shortly after Aeryn had pulled the squad car into its designated parking spot in the very midst of the parking unit, pushing the door to his left open moments later and stepping out onto the concrete ground below, Damien following in his footsteps moments later, only for Aeryn to lock the vehicle and pocket the keys, looking to his partner who made his way round from his side of the vehicle in order for the two to take their leave for the day, only to catch sight of a familiar approaching figure who had appeared from the exit doors a few meters away, helmet in hand, sporting a similarly exhausted expression, Damien clearing his throat to gain his attention. The officer looked up, blinking once or twice to try and properly adjust his eyes to the oddly blaringly bright lights of the unit he had entered, presumably to pick up his car, and once he had come to register who he was dealing with, a widened, friendly smile promptly crossed his face. It was none other than Ranger, it being the first time both Damien and Aeryn had seen him in a few weeks. "Hey, just the two i was looking for.." The blonde officer stated as he came to a halt beside his parked car which was placed just a few spaces away from Aeryns, leaning against it for light support. It had been a long day for him too. He was a similar height to Aeryn, if not an inch smaller, standing at a grand 6ft 2, which had always irked Damien, who stood at 5ft 4, and if it wasn't Aeryn who was using his head as an elbow rest, it was Ranger. Most, if not all of Victors androids were taller than Damien, and he was never allowed to forget that. 

"Was gonna call you on my way home if i didn't run into you, there's been a position change for tomorrow." The blonde then continued, to which Aeryn frowned in immediate understanding towards the fact that Rangers words couldn't have meant anything positive, considering that his and Damiens profession positions were in no way similar to Rangers, so they never tended to receive work related notice from Ranger himself unless it was significantly important. "What's happened-?" Aeryn was quick to inquire, to which Ranger shook his head briefly. "Not entirely sure yet, got a radio call from 4758 earlier today, said that Victor wanted all A-Ranked officers present in Quadrant 3 by 8 tomorrow. Everyone else is on basic street patrol." 

Both Damien and Aeryn exchanged a quick, visibly concerned glance, as this was highly unusual, especially coming from Colton himself. orders like these were only ever really put in place if the fortress was under increased risk of a staged attack or there was news of a potentially forming riot, yet none of these possibilities explained the specific request for higher ranking officers, and for the others to be cast out onto social duty, Ranger beginning to pull open the boot of his car in order to place his helmet and bag inside as Damien turned to him, hands now rested on his hips. "And he didn't specify why-? Victor or 4758?" He asked, earning a shrug of the blondes shoulders. "I'm afraid not. Well, Victor might've specified the reasoning to 4758, but he never elaborated over radio." He admitted, which wasn't exactly the answer that Damien had been hoping for, but he knew that Victor was careful with the amount of information that he gave out, even to his own androids to avoid potentially critical points, facts or pending plans being leaked to the wrong people, so there was a limited amount of explanations behind the orders that were given to officers. Reaching out to give Rangers shoulder a light pat, Aeryn offered him a curt thank you, as did Damien, as they both knew that without Rangers constant snippets of information, it would have been a lot harder for both androids to stay on top of things. "You stay safe, yeah? I dunno exactly what Victors got lined up, but it can't be anything positive. I've got a real bad feeling.."The blonde eventually finished as he began to make his way round to the drivers seat of his car, taking ahold of the handle to pull the door open, turning back to the two other officers yet again. "Oh, and hey, you ever need anything, you know where i am. Both of you." He said with a lingeringly friendly grin as he shifted himself into the drivers seat of his vehicle and closed the door after himself, the engine roaring viciously into life moments later, both Damien and Aeryn raising a hand to give the other android a curt wave as he pulled out of his parking space and promptly left the vehicle unit, leaving the two on their own again, and visibly unsettled as they began their gentle trek homewards in complete silence before Aeryn turned to Damien with a slightly arched brow. "You think it's bad..?" He asked, seeming almost apprehensive to ask his own question, something which Damien rarely ever heard in him, casting his gaze towards volt with a light exhale from his mouth. "Do Victors orders ever lead to anything good..-?" He asked in return, which seemed to strike a nerve in Aeryn, as he knew the smaller Android was right. As much as he hated to admit it, he was right. 

"Oh, hey guys.." Michael was the first to greet the two androids as they came in through the front door of their apartment building that evening, tone hushed, and due to the fact that he was still positioned in his office chair at his computer like he had been when Damien has first left for work in the early hours of the morning, it would've been easy to assume that he hadn't moved all day, and then again, neither of the androids would have put it past him. He could get incredibly engrossed in his work on occasion, and wouldn't leave his seat for any other reason than to refill his coffee cup or to use the bathroom. The lights were mostly off, the only form of illumination being the dimly flickering lamp which was placed on the desk Michael worked at, although it wasn't exactly doing its job very well. "Hey, buddy.." Damien said with a weak smile, gently closing the front door behind him after he'd entered the room, and the first thing that struck him was how quiet it was. Usually, when the two came home from their shift, Cassie was the first to scamper over from wherever she was in the apartment at the time to meet the two of them in a mess of babbles and endless streams of explanations as to what she had done with her day, and Damien had to admit to himself that it was disheartening when he wasn't immediately with her little smiling face after a tiring day. "Where's..uh, Catherine, hm? Cass-?" Bryans eventually asked as he set down his helmet on the living room coffee table, beginning to pull pieces of his armour from his shoulders, Aeryn heading straight for the couch to sit himself down with a heavy sigh, which earned a frown from Michael as he turned round in his seat to face the two officers, hands on the arm rests of his chair. "They're asleep upstairs..uh..long day. You look like you haven't exactly had it easy either." He mused, which plucked a shrill laugh from Volt. "Are they ever easy?" he asked, to which Michael held up his hands in mock surrender. "Was just making a statement. Did you notice the gate?" he questioned, merely because he'd been anticipating the response from both Colton and Aeryn and Damien, Bryans seating himself on the coffee table beside his helmet, still working on detaching his armour from his body with a widened grin. "Gotta hand it to you, buddy, you did good. Again. Don't think it'll be fixed anytime soon. There were more guards than usual-" He began, only to have Volt cut him off. "Y'know, that's probably what Colton's pissed about."

This caught Michaels attention, leaning forwards in his chair a little in visible interest, Damiens face having contorted into a look of obvious discomfort at the mention of it. "Victor's pissed?" Michael then asked, Aeryn shifting in his seat a little, curving his body downwards to set his helmet on the floor. "There's been an order put out for A ranking officers to bring themselves to Quadrant 3 tomorrow morning. Just rank A. Dunno what the hell he's decided to play at now, but it's happening." He explained, which caused a flare of anxiety to pit in Michaels stomach, but then again, he shouldn't have been expecting anything else at this point. he knew there would come a time where Victor would grow tired of the rebels actions and take drastic measures to put an end to them, and the first thought in everyone's mind was that that was exactly what had happened. It was the most likely explanation. "I'm sure it'll be nothing major.." Damien then pipped up from his place on the table, now clutching his discarded armour in his arms as he pulled himself to his feet, despite knowing very well that the reasoning behind Coltons actions were worth worrying about. They always were. He was unsettlingly unpredictable, and none of his orders came without violent ends. It was a harsh reality which meant that Bryans attempt to lighten the situation was fruitless, although no one said anything of it. He was merely trying to prevent unnecessary anxiety, anxiety which was already present, even in Damien himself. "Best not to worry about it until it happens.." Aeryn eventually broke the silence, using his hands to pull himself away from the couch he was sitting on and brushing himself off, beckoning for Damien to follow as he headed for the stairs which led up to the attic after murmuring a brief goodnight to Michael, who offered a brief wave of his hand. 

The two of them would need decent rest, yes, and Damien knew this, but he didn't follow Aeryn straight away, despite knowing he should, making his way over to lean up against the cabinet beside Michaels desk, offering him a genuine smile. "Hey, don't worry about it, yeah?" He mused, being able to clearly see the uncomfortableness plastered across Michaels face, Michael himself allowing his foot to tap repeatedly on the ground before he lifted his gaze from the floor to meet with Damiens, brows furrowed. "Has Victor ever called for something like this before?" He eventually asked, to which Bryans allowed himself to sigh, giving an honest shake of his head. "Not that i can remember, no. I won't lie to you. Not with specific officers anyway, but listen to me. Whatever it is, We'll let you know, and we'll deal with it, yeah?" He stated, to which Michael nodded, leaning back into his chair with a hand on his chin in thought towards the matter, features pulled into a look of contemplation. "yeah, yeah you're right. It's fine." he murmured, despite still being visibly unsure. Yet that was all that Damien could do to reassure him, so with that, and after exchanging a word of goodnight between the two of them, Damien turned on his heel, still clutching his armour as he made his way towards the stairs in front of him, and if he was really honest with himself, he knew fine well that managing to gain any form of sleep that night wouldn't exactly be an option. Bryans had a habit of overthinking, and the fact that Victors previous calls for excessive numbers of soldiers had only ever ended in disaster, It left Damien with an aggressive ball of intense paranoia that he knew wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. It seemed that Victor had perhaps finally had enough of having to deal with the constant troubles the rebels of the citadel were causing him, and both Aeryn and Damien knew that his means of retaliation were going to be potentially catastrophic. 

They always were. 


	5. Chapter 5

Michael was absolutely dreading this. The feeling which was tightly balled into the centre of his chest was indescribable, and it had been, and still was so prevalent that it had kept him awake for most of the night. Not that he slept all that much anyway, but it was rare that that lack of sleep was caused by negative anticipation such as this, and he had lay awake for a considerable portion of the night in thought as towards how he was going to word the news to his wife, as this was the last thing she needed to hear at the moment. it was the last thing that anyone needed to hear right now, but despite that, the realisation of the possible oncoming wave of disaster was inevitable, and although it could have turned out to be nothing worth the anxiety, you never really knew when you lived in the citadel. You always had to be on your guard. In hearing gentle footsteps beginning to make the apartment stairs which led up to the second and third floor, Michael perked up in his office chair, as he'd been waiting to speak to Catherine again since she took both herself and Cassie upstairs early the night before, as they had both been severely exhausted, yet he couldn't have protested against it even if he'd wanted to. It had been his own fault for allowing himself to forget the one thing he'd been asked to do that morning, therefore it had been left up to his wife, who had enough on her plate in the first place with catering to other residents of the backstreets in the first place. People who needed more assistance. People who struggled to support themselves on a daily basis, and there was more of them than anyone would have liked to admit. Supplies had always been scarce, but not like this. Recently it had been increasingly difficult for people to get their hands on basic materials due to increased surveillance and random security checks which Colton had decided to put in place a few months ago, much to everyone's disappointment. He caused nothing but dismay, and always had. 

"Hey, i need to talk to you." Initially, Michael felt guilty for immediately springing himself on Catherine when she was only just awake, as she knew she needed her sleep, but Both Damien and Aeryn had left for work about two hours ago, it currently being 9:30am, and it was the first time that Michael had seen Catherine in over 12 hours, and considering that she hadn't been present when Michael had been informed about Victors worrisome request, he knew it was only fair that he spoke to her about it as soon as he possibly could. "Can it wait? I'm just up, y'know." Came his wifes response as she made her way down the apartment stairs from the second floor and over to the kitchen counter, beginning to sort through cupboards in order to seek out the coffee jar which she could never seem to locate due to the fact that Michael never put it back where it belonged after he used it, but then again, neither did any of the other men in the household, and it drove the redhead utterly insane, considering she viewed it as a relatively basic task and it never took much effort to reach up and put something back where you found it, yet regardless of that, things were always left lying around, and they were sometimes found in bizarre places where they certainly weren't supposed to be. "No, I really need to talk to you. It's important." 

With a heavy sigh from her mouth, Catherine disregarded her plans to make herself her coffee for now in order to turn and make her way over to the couch that was just outside the kitchen unit, settling down with a displeased expression, and Michael knew exactly what it meant. She had a habit of complaining about the fact that she was never able to take a moment to herself anymore, and in a way, her husband agreed, yet he knew he couldn't exactly hold off on telling her what she needed to know, as it was both unfair, and she would have outwardly confronted him for leaving her uninformed if she were to find out from someone else at a later date, which wasn't something that was pleasant to experience. Michael saw no reason to avoid getting straight to the point, so in adjusting himself in his seat, he leaned forwards to rest his elbows on his knees, only to have Catherine cut him off in visible exasperation. "Look, if this is about yesterday, I was just being cranky because I was tired and I-" Yet she wasn't given the time to finish, as Michael offered a shake of his head, bringing up his hands to stop her in her tracks. "No, no it's not, and i need you to listen to me, yeah?" He stated, and at that point, Catherine knew to listen, as unless it was indeed important, Michael would never usually have had the nerve to cut his wife off from speaking. He would never usually have had the nerve to cut anyone off for that matter. "So after you went upstairs with Cass, I spoke to Aeryn and Damien after they came in from their shift. They said there's been a change of shift formation for today." He began to explain, and the immediate drop in Catherines features was what he expected, yet not what he wanted to see. It wasn't often that he was able to witness her look genuinely concerned such as now, and again, it wasn't pleasant. She was usually so held together. "What-? What do you mean a change? Didn't they mention?" She was quick to inquire, yet Michael didn't know. It seemed no one really had any clue as to what was happening. "They weren't told exactly what the fuel behind it was, but officers of a lower rank have been instructed to..i can't remember exactly what they said, but it was something to do with Victor wanting higher ranked officers - all higher ranked officers in the fortress while the rest are placed on less relevant duties..They didn't know why or what for."

Catherine was confused, and understandably so, taking a moment to run her hands through her hair and lean back into her seat in thought towards the matter, and although Michael was closely gauging her responses towards what he had just said to her, there were so many emotions flickering across her features at once that he couldn't seem to decipher what they were, and after a moment of tense silence between the two of them, Catherine seemed to register something, and it immediately caused her to frown yet again, cupping her own face in an evidently stressed manner. "Why are you telling me this? why did i need to know?" She eventually asked, to which Michael moved to almost nervously clasp his hands together at his chest, momentarily pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. "I think.." He eventually began, pausing briefly as if to check his own words before they left his lips. "I think we need to really prepare for the worst here. I mean, when was the last time that Colton pulled something like this? and how did it end? It was disastrous. So I'm suggesting we do something about it before he can cause too much damage." He then finished, not taking his eyes off of his wifes face as he spoke, and by the looks of it, It hadn't gone down particularly well, yet Michael hadn't really been expecting anything less than a negative reaction, watching as Catherine dropped her head into her hands, exhaling a breath that was audibly stress induced, features pulled into a look of complete and utter dread. She was really at the end of her tether with this now, but so was everyone else at this point. The outside community of the Citadel rebels had grown tense over the past few years, and at the moment, people were looking for whatever exit they could possibly wrap their fingers around. They were growing desperate, and Michael knew that whatever it was that Victor was planning, it could quite possibly tear what was left of the resistance into a thousand scattering pieces which probably would never be put back together again. Yet that was what Colton wanted, and the determination to put an end to his sick desires was growing thin, and beginning to dwindle into non existence. people were growing tired of constantly struggling to survive. They all were. It wasn't a life that anyone wanted to live, therefore any way out was being welcomed nowadays. 

"Hey... Hey, look at me..." Michael eventually opted to say as he pulled himself from his seat, but as he made his way over and ever so gently laid his hands on his wifes face to tilt her head towards him in order to meet her gaze, he was struck by the fact that she was visibly close to tears, and that was something which never failed to punch him straight in the gut. In all the years that they had known each other, Michael had only ever seen Catherine cry twice, and it had never been pleasant. She only really let her emotions get the best of her when she knew the situation they were currently in was worth the tears, and at the moment, it was worth a thousand, but even then, she was only just managing to keep herself together, Michael trailing a thumb across her cheek in a weak attempt to comfort her, although he knew it would do nothing. "It could be nothing... you know that. There's been plenty of situations like this where there's been no reason for you to worry about it." He initially started to say, Catherine raising a hand to wipe her face after pulling herself out of her husbands grip almost defiantly. "And if there is something to worry about?" She asked with an arched brow, having wiped away the tears which had been threatening to spill from her eyes and down her cheeks with her sleeve. "Michael...What if this is it? What if this is where it ends for us, hm? Because by the sounds of it, that's where this is headed, and let me tell you, i would rather die than live like the rest of those people." 

Michael had always known this, so catherines words didn't come as a shock to him. He'd always known that she had no intention of ever allowing herself to fall victim to the forced ways of living the Citadel residents were subjected to, and that she would indeed take her last breath before victor had the chance to rub his victory in her face, but it was still difficult to hear, as at the moment, it was likely that in their current situation, and with the plan of action that Michael intended to suggest, there would be casualties, and probably not everyone would make it out alive, especially when faced with Victors higher ranked forces, which had never been put in place before. "If this is it, then we'll deal with it the best we can, Catherine, and I need you to stick with me on this, yeah? Look, I can't tell you what's gonna come out of this or even if we're gonna come out of this at all, but i promise you... If we're going down, we're going down fighting." Michael mused as he lowered his hands from his wifes face to give her the space she needed, although he moved to situate himself on the empty space on the couch beside her, eyes remaining fixed on her, watching as a ghostly smile threatened to grace her lips. "Where have i heard that before, eh?" She eventually asked as she turned to face her husband with a partially amused tone laced into her voice, which earned a feeble chuckle from Michael himself. The words he had just spoken had initially come from Catherine herself, when a few years prior, she had spoken them in a heated altercation with Volt, and although Michael couldn't remember exactly what been said, remembered Catherine refusing to converse with the officer for a good few days afterwards. Not that Aeryn cared, of course, but their temporary rivalry had been humouring to watch. Both Catherine and Aeryn had always had childish quarrels between each other, yet that was merely because they both had a similar attitude towards...well...everything, really. That, and the fact that Volt never seemed to know when to hold his tongue had never hesitated to get on Catherines last nerve. He was mouthy, and she had never been one to tolerate his comments, whether they were flirtatiously pithy or just downright irritating in general, yet they both went out of their way to purposefully wind each other up, so their was no pointed fingers. 

"So, what do you suggest we do then?" Catherine eventually asked after taking a moment to check behind her to make sure that Cassie hadn't decided to venture down from upstairs and was standing listening to her conversation with Michael, as the two of them knew that it wasn't something she needed to hear. Cassie was fragile enough as it was, and she had a habit of overthinking basically everything, so if she were to be informed on what was happening, she wouldn't have been able to sleep soundly again for weeks, Michael adjusting himself in his position on the couch to face his wife properly, and although he hadn't said anything yet, anyone could have guessed what he was about to say, and although it was dangerous, yes, it was a reasonable suggestion. "I suggest we get our foot in the door before Victor does. So whatever he has in his head, we stay one step ahead of him." He said almost proudly, which brought another smile to Catherines face. Michael was always so proud of his ideas, regardless of the nature they were created in. He was never usually a man who took care of retaliation plans, but since neither Damien or Aeryn were here to do it at the moment, it was him or nobody, really. "Yeah, but how do we do that if we don't even know what he's planning-?" The redhead then made a point of asking, pursing her lips In thought, to which Michael momentarily paused in thought, before the realisation seemed to strike him. "No doubt Aeryn and Damien have been informed of the reasoning behind the callout by now. So surely they'll be able to offer some sort of..explanation when they get home, no? Then we can work forwards from there." The truth was that Michael, of course, didn't actually know what information the androids were going to be offered at their placements that morning, or if they were even going to be told anything of value at the moment, but whatever they did come home with, it would be put to whatever use it possible.

It made sense, and Catherine knew it, and it was really all they could do at this point in time, considering the amount of knowledge they had on the overall severity of the situation was not exactly excessive, and in order for them to really devise a plan of retaliation, they would need more than just a few measly snippets of Victor's intentions, which was really all they had right now, and it wasn't much to work with, yet it was progress at the moment, and eventually, Catherine moved to pull herself from her seat on the couch, stretching her arms above her head, and although it seemed as if she had mostly calmed from the state of distress she had fallen into earlier as a result of bring hit with the news of the possible oncoming threat they were not subjected to, Michael could tell that it was still running circles in the back of her mind, yet he couldn't blame her. Times were anxiety inducing, and there was a possibility that they weren't going to improve. Not for a long time anyway. "I'm going to wake up Cassie...Make sure she doesn't sleep too long.." The redhead shortly announced as she began to make her way back towards the apartment stairs over on the far wall, running her fingers through her hair yet again, although her attention was momentarily averted as there came a beckon from her husband, who had turned to face her over the back of the couch he was sitting on, Cath allowing her gaze to meet with Michaels yet again. "Do you think we should tell her..? Try and explain what's going on..? I mean, she's been exposed to enough to maybe partially understand.." Michael then asked, and although it was a difficult subject, they both seemed to subconsciously register that it was best that Cassie was left uninformed for now. She was still incredibly young, of course, and it was nothing short of unfair if she was yet again forced to let go of what childhood she had left as a result of whatever Victors cruel decisions were going to lead to. "I think it's best that we leave it for now.." Catherine said honestly, and by the simple nod of his head, she knew her husband agreed, and with that, she turned back around to then disappear back up the stairs ahead of her, Michael sitting back into his seat a little as he listened to the creaking of the old wooden steps gradually fade into non existence. 

When he really thought about it, His conversation with Catherine had technically went better than he had firstly anticipated it to go. There hadn't been any blind panic or any wish to make rash decisions as a result of the news the redhead was presented with, and although it had clearly been worrying for Cath to hear, she had handled it reasonably well, as well as anyone could, really, and that was pretty much all he could have asked for. Eventually, Michaels train of thought began to gradually drift back to the scrambled pieces of what would gradually begin to form into a resistance plan, and in doing so, he became well aware of the fact that there wasn't exactly much planning needed. In assuming that Victors intentions were to launch yet another attack on the rebellious Citadel residents, then in all honesty, there was really only one course of action that could be taken in terms of both defence and fighting back. It was an old way of warfare, yet Michaels cyber attacks on the Citadel fortress could really only be taken so far before there wasn't much left to prey on, and the more he pondered over the matter, the more he seemed to register exactly how the oncoming days were going to pan out, as regardless of what information Damien and Aeryn returned with in the evening, it was going to end in relentless chaos, because if Victor had it etched into his mind that he was going to get the best of the remaining rebels, that they were going to lie down and allow themselves to be destroyed without lifting a finger in return, then he had the wrong end of the stick entirely, Because Catherine was right. She had always been right. If they were going down, then they were going down fighting, and if they had to riot...

Then riot they would.


	6. Chapter 6

"Bryans!" 

In terms of being diverted away from their initial plan of action, the androids morning had not went as planned. After clocking into work a few minutes early as always in order to safely place themselves in the requested formation of the main hall in the fortress's fourth quadrant, as specified by victor, both Aeryn and Damien's route was cut short by the sudden beckon for Damien's attention by the all too familiar voice of Colton himself as it emanated from the hallway behind the two of them in which they had just tread down, and in order to remain in check, Aeryn could do nothing but continue walking on his way to the set post for both himself and the other fortress officers since his presence had not been requested as well, Damien being forced to turn on his heel in order to address his superior, and in all honesty, the feeling of dread had already washed over him like a tidal wave, resisting the urge to completely ignore Victor and continue on his way alongside his partner, as even the mere sight of the Leviathan was enough to send the androids suppressed emotions into overdrive. Without the time to offer a response in return to the beckon, Victor had raised a hand to motion for Damien to advance and follow his superior onwards as he wordlessly turned to make his way back down the hallway in which he had originally appeared from, Damien momentarily adapting a partial jog in his step to catch up to Colton, who was a naturally quick walker, taking cautiously manoeuvred steps to avoid treading on the tails of Victors coat as it trailed along the tiled floor below, the androids features pulled into a look of concealed confusion beneath his visored helmet. The android had to admit, he never failed to become practically consumed by anxiety whenever he was called for by Victor, as in the back of his mechanical mind, there was always the reoccurring fear that the Leviathan had somehow come into possession of the knowledge of Damiens double life, and although that was unlikely, it was not out of the question. It never would be. "Where are we going, sir-?" Bryans, eventually plucking up the courage from himself to inquire about the current situation, questioned before promptly correcting his choice of words after seemingly registering his errors moments after he'd spoken. "If you don't mind me asking." He then finished after inhaling sharply to maintain a monotonous demeanour for now. "I Thought you were going to lay your explanation on the table, no?" this was what had initially struck him as bizarre. When Victor had initially called his name, bryans had assumed that he had been requesting the androids personnel to accompany him to the formation hall in terms of security, as it wasn't uncommon for the Leviathan to host an officer by his side at All times of the day, regardless of what he was doing, yet The two of them were currently heading away from the requested location of the appointed soldiers, so either Victor had to pick up something along the way, or that was not where they were going, and it was more likely to be the latter than anything else. 

"Explanation?" Victor asked almost quizzically, and if Damien hadn't been so accustomed to dealing with Coltons blatantly cold attitude, the android would have immediately shrunk back in anxiety at the harshness of the question he had just been asked. The reality was that Bryans was nothing short of terrified of the Leviathan, but then again, he had every right to feel such a way. Victor was intimidating in every and all possible ways that could be described. He towered over Damien like a skyscraper, and it took everything in Bryans to maintain eye contact when Victors gaze turned to him. His tone was permanently belittling, and he had the ability to make you feel nothing short of inferior in just a few words from his silver tongue, but then again, Coltons tactics had always been based around intimidation, and it was really what had allowed him to remain where he now stood. At the same time, Damien knew that his master didn't owe him an explanation until he decided he wanted to, removing his helmet from his head in order to allow Victor to make eye contact if he wanted to as they walked, the android murmuring a brief apology before he continued to speak, tucking safely his helmet under his arm, clearing his throat and then continuing. "Well, i assumed after you called for rank A officers yesterday there would information offered as to the reasoning behind it." He admitted, and much to his relief, Victor didn't see it as a disrespectful inquiry, which was a surprise, considering he never really liked to be questioned on the fuel behind his actions. "There will be explanations registered, yes, But not by myself. I Spoke with 4758 yesterday and decided he would be the one to administer orders and assigned switched posts. You will be informed separately by one of your colleagues later on in the day. Is that clear?" Colton asked without turning to acknowledge Bryans, who gave a curt nod in understanding followed by a shortened "Yes sir."

"Considering you are one of my unquestionably trusted androids, i decided i would inform you first. I requested Cal to manufacture me a modified piece of machinery a few months ago in order to significantly aid in our retaliation against our reoccurring assailants, and it should very well be put into use in the oncoming days." Damien partially stopped listening to Victor at that, as the mere mention of Cal was enough to bring a concealed smile to his face. The mentioned professor, Drew "Cal" Calloway, had worked for Victor from the very beginning, and to be honest, it wasn't just Damien that had a soft spot for him. He was a nutty character, as most people who worked in the scientific field tended to be, yet in all his intelligent insanity which practically radiated off of him, his excessive energy was uplifting in an odd sense. He was an underrated man, really, and he in no shape or form was ever praised for his work due to the fact that he had come to an agreement with Colton upon first arriving in The Citadel. If the professor was to be allowed permission to remain without an NRD while residing in his placement, then he was to work out of sight and therefore out of mind, passing the credit for his work over to Colton, Therefore the Leviathan tended to shamelessly intake the compliments for his creations by claiming them to be his own. It was frustrating for Drew himself, but he had the sense to silence his anger in order to remain in the good books with Victor, who had basically set him up for life at this point, and in order to remain in his position of being reasonably well off in life, Drew was content with the circumstances. 

"Bryans, are you listening to me?" Victors voice snapped Damien out of his daze, and he was immediately struck by the fact that he hadn't been listening to whatever it was that Victor had been saying to him, looking upwards with an apologetic expression now plastered across his artificial features. "M...My apologies, sir. I must've lost you somewhere." He spoke calmly, despite mentally preparing for the Leviathan to viciously tear through him as a result of his actions, still following him through the seemingly endless maze of hallways and corridors, yet all that was earned from Colton was a heavy, audibly exasperated exhale as he eventually came to a halt outside the doors to the professors workspace, turning to face Damien properly for a moment, and now that Bryans had the chance to look over him properly, he could see that he was outwardly tense, something which he didn't usually allow himself to display in-front of other people, and although Bryans knew that he really shouldn't have held sympathy for the taller man, he did. He'd never liked to witness people in obvious states of discomfort, and in watching Victor raise his hands to briefly rub at his temples almost as if to ease a headache, he resisted the urge to inquire into whether he was okay or not. "Bryans, I need your full attention here. Do you understand me? This is important and if you aren't able to offer me your assistance then I will call for another officer." He stated, much to Damiens suppressed embarrassment, only just forcing himself to remain bolt upright instead of hunching in on himself. "Yes sir, I apologise." 

With a nod of acknowledgment towards Damiens words, Victor then turned on his heel in order to place his hand on the left door to the lab in order to forcefully push it open, keeping it held to the side long enough for Damien to step in afterwards, before they both let it swing shut behind them, and at that point, Damien registered he really couldn't remember the last time he had been in here, hence why the layout was completely foreign to him. It was spacious, yes, but excessively cluttered. the somehow pristinely clean floor was lined with multiple worksurfaces which were littered with handheld tools and seemingly random pieces of either constructed or deconstructed machinery, along with recognisable mechanical parts which were used in the intricate construction of victors androids. separate tables and cabinets were filled with bottled chemical components, empty and occupied vials and jars of unknown material, a surgical gurney having been abandoned in the centre of the room, occupied by an out of service officer. To the left was really where the professor did most of his assembly work for Colton, and it was obvious. The floor was replaced by a raised counter where androids were serviced or made, The ceiling being shrouded with lowered mechanical claws which assisted in the scientists work when his hands were busy elsewhere, and then there was the professor himself. Currently situated with his back to both Victor and Damien, presumably because he hadn't heard them enter, leaned forwards over an object that Bryans couldn't quite manage to lay his eyes on due to where Cal was stood, Victor offering a curt clear of his throat before placing his hands on his hips. "Drew."

"What-? Hi? Hello-?" The professor turned with a startled jolt which accompanied the jumbled mess of words that spilled from his lips in visible surprise, only just managing to keep a hold of the screwdriver he was currently clutching in his right hand, before offering a sheepish smile in response to laying eyes on both Colton and Bryans. "Ah, excuse me...I didn't...didn't hear you come in." He stated in audible anxiety towards the fact that he had unintentionally ignored the presence of Victor, considering that in itself was punishable, regardless of the nature, yet Victor appeared to be too caught up in the thought of whatever plans he had left to attend to, as he let it slide entirely, and the look of relief on the professors face was unmistakable. "I assume you have finished what I asked?" The leviathan questioned with a stern expression, Drew offering a brisk nod as he leaned himself back against the workspace behind him, only to be brought reeling back into an upright position after a sharp order for him to stand correctly, which he did. "I finished a couple of hours ago." He stated almost proudly, yet he kept most of his pride to himself now, considering it was never worth the effort to display it in front of victor, as it was either immediately shut down or Colton simply didn't care enough for it to be worth anything. "Good. Considering I trust everything to be in working order, I want you to display the finished products and their uses to Damien whilst I attend to business elsewhere." Victor explained sharply before he began to retreat towards the door that the two of them had first entered through without another word from his darkly painted lips, and although Damien had been expecting Colton to offer an explanation, he had to admit to himself that having the professor do it instead did indeed make more sense, as of course, he was the one who pieced everything together. "Bryans, once you are finished here you are dismissed until tomorrow, and as mentioned I'll have you brought up to speed on what you have missed by a separate officer." Was Victors passing words after seeming to assume he needed to remind the android, and Damien didn't have time to acknowledge them, as when he turned to do so, his superior had already dispersed, Bryans watching as the door to the lab closed behind him.

In watching Victor leave, Damien almost immediately released a sigh of relief, as he knew fine well that he wasn't required to maintain a monotonous demeanour around Drew, considering that they both had a mutual opinion on Coltons actions, and were really on the same side when it came down to it. In turning to face Drew properly, the android was able to register the exhaustion on his damaged features, but then again, that was expected with how tirelessly Bryans knew the professor worked. He was an odd little man, Cal, standing at a measly 4ft 10, tufts of ashy blonde hair looking as if they hadn't been brushed in months, his lab coat stained with specs of dust, splatters of oil and basic residue from continuous wear, and to be honest, he looked as if he could fall into a state of sleep at any moment, yet what was merely from being relentlessly overworked. Upon taking occasional moments to really study the professor whenever they encountered each other, which wasn't often, Damien tended to register that his own disfigurement was inferior compared to the blondes, whos left facial features were littered with streaks of scarlet red, blistered and charred flesh, whereas Damien...well...his was barely even visible anymore. The professor must have been in constant discomfort considering his injuries had been as a result of a similar chemical accident, yet it wasn't apparent. He never mentioned it, and Bryans had never heard him complain once. 

In raising a gloved hand to gently push his rounded glasses back up the bridge of his nose, Drew offered Damien a crooked smile, beckoning for him to follow as he turned on his heel to begin to lead him towards where he had initially been standing when Bryans and his master had first entered, hosting a natural, humorously frivolous skip to his step "Now, I wouldn't allow your hopes to spiral too high. It's nothing ground-breaking-" He began to explain, yet Damien already knew that this wouldn't be strictly true. Drews inventions and modifications were always nothing short of pure genius, but then again, the man had always harboured outstanding ideas in that...slightly twisted brain of his. Falling into place beside the professor at the workspace he'd been positioned at, Damien was able to lay his eyes on a shield. It was a basic looking riot shield which the android was all too familiar with, and if he knew that if it had been handed to him wordlessly and without knowledge that it had been adapted, Bryans wouldn't have been able to register that anything had been done to it. That was really the kicker about the professors work. It was always so subtle. "Uh, if you wouldn't mind picking it up." Drew gestured for Damien to take a hold of the shield itself, and in doing so, the professor outwardly admitted he didn't have the strength to carry it properly, which made sense, considering he had about as much muscle mass as Victors stiletto heel, Bryans pulling the elongated shield into his hand, fingers wrapping around the handle. "Victor asked me to offer him a deterrent which was subtle on the eyes." Cal then continued, resting his hands behind his back as he spoke, yet not before gesturing to the handle of the shield Damien now held. "The handle is fitted with a pressurised container which was eh...supposed to be filled with toxic gas as requested but its...suppressed smoke instead. when the top of the handle is indented it releases whatever substance is inside the container." He then finished, much to Damiens utter amusement. 

It was really a miracle how Drew had never been called out for his counterfeit inventions by now, considering that whenever Victor ordered for the item to be outwardly harmful, he obliged without question yet always found some sort of loophole to avoid causing damage to the undeserving such as this. He didn't agree with Victors doings. He only stuck around because it was an easy way of living for him. "Hey, that's genius." Damien said with a widened smile, lifting the shield upwards before pressing his thumb down on the handle of the shield he currently held, and there it was, a short burst of light coloured smoke which was spat outwards into the air before the two of them. Brilliant. "You don't think he'll notice?" Was Bryans' next question, to which Drew shook his head with a partially confident smile. "Has he ever noticed any of my adjustments before?" He asked, which was true, He hadn't. "And if he does, I can claim it takes time to take effect. Simple." 

"Anyway, do come with me! I have something else to show you." Cal then stated, beckoning for the shield to be put back on the workspace, Damien obliging, placing it back in its original spot to then follow the professor as he moved away from the table and weaved his way through the scattered contents of the lab towards the back section, brushing past the lifeless android who was placed...in a rather uncomfortable looking position on the gurney that Damien had spied when he'd first entered. That was always something that had made him oddly uncomfortable, if he was honest with himself. Out of service officers, that was. He wasn't entirely sure what it was about them that gave him the shivers, and considering that it was something he lay his eyes on on a daily basis as occasionally there was nowhere to store androids who needed repair or were going to be dismantled and they were sometimes lying all over the place, he should have been used to it, but he wasn't. Maybe it was driven by his own intense fear of being dismantled. Or being shut down for good. It was a possibility that kept him awake at night more often than not. They always looked so...empty. Their eyes were never closed, and although they were emotionally drained and therefore they weren't capable of displaying any form of emotion, they looked almost saddened. Lost, even. He hated it. "Damien?" The professors almost concerned sounding tone was what brought Damien back into reality yet again, and he almost immediately registered that he had lost himself in his own thoughts again, turning his attention to Drew with an apologetic smile. "Sorry.." He began, raising a hand to almost awkwardly rub at the back of his neck as he spoke. "I've uh...been a little out of it today. It's not you." He then admitted, to which the professor nodded, despite looking visibly unconvinced. He was never easily fooled. 

"Uh, so what I wanted to show you was this." Cal then continued, having come to a halt beside a separate table which held a pretty basic looking breastplate which was an every day piece of the androids armour in the citadel, held in the back of the androids squad cars in preparation to respond to public uprisings, Damien coming to stand beside the professor as he began to speak once more. "Victor wanted your armour for when you partake in riots to be sturdier. Not that it isn't already sturdy, but he's never happy, is he? Anyway, I did some research. Apparently in the early 15th century on a planet I...Can't remember the name of, to be honest with you, royal figures had their guards armour plated with heavy steel. So that's what i adapted to your current protection. The inside layer in both the front and the back are constructed using re enforced steel, as is the rest of your riot armour but I'll show you all of that later." He explained, Damien giving a nod of his head as he watched Drew reach over and wrap his arms around the breastplate itself, hauling it up off of the table and into his grip, before offering it out to Bryans with a crooked smile. "Here, take it. Bryans it's heavy- Take it before I drop it-" He mused, Damien reaching forwards with a widened smile as he removed the armour from the professors grip, trailing his eyes over it almost in wonder. It looked no different to the armour they already possessed, yet he could feel that it was significantly weighed down, Its outside layer was still made of layered Kevlar, yet in giving it a slight knock with his right knuckles, Bryans could feel the steel plating beneath it. He'd done it again, really, Drew. It was yet again another utterly outstanding piece of work that Damien couldn't quite wrap his head around. "You can try it on, if you want." Drew then commented with a slight motion to accompany his words. It was always amusing to the android how the blonde never really seemed to know what to do with his hands when they weren't working on something physical. They tended to hover awkwardly until they found somewhere to rest for a few moments before reverting back to seemingly having a mind of their own. 

In beginning to pull the armour he was currently wearing from his chest and neatly placing it on the floor below in order to allow himself to slip the re enforced plate onto his body, a thought crept into the androids mind. He wasn't entirely sure as to whether Colton had specified his supposed plan to the professor or not, and although he was curious as to what the answer was and what he had been told if anything, he felt oddly awkward about asking. The professor wasn't a difficult man to speak to, but he could become extremely anxious extremely easily when faced with certain subjects of conversation, and when he fell into a state of anxiety over something, it was extremely difficult to pull him out of it, especially when it came to conversing about Victors intentions. Understandably, Cal was also terrified of the leviathan, and he had been known to become so worked up when speaking of him or even to him, that he struggled to form a coherent sentence. It was unpleasant to watch, hence why Damien tended to avoid mentions of Colton to refrain from shoving Drew into a state of panic, allowing him to speak of his superior when he felt okay to do so, yet at the moment, his curiosity was really getting the best of him, and as he began to pull the modified armour on, he looked up to the professor with arched brows, lowering his tone to an almost gentle whisper before he started to speak. "I hate to ask, but...Victor never specified why he wanted you to make these things for him, did he? Why he wanted these upgrades?" To be honest, the android had already assumed that the answer was a simple no, as he knew that if the professor had been informed of any significant plans that Victor had in store, he would have come and let the android know as soon as he could, Yet Cal wasn't given the time to respond, as just as he opened his burned lips to speak, the door to the lab came crashing open with alarming force. 

The last person that Damien intended to see in this moment was Aeryn, yet in turning his head to see who had entered and reaching over at the same time to lay a hand on the shoulder of the visibly startled professor who had just about went into cardiac arrest, Bryans' eyes were met with the sight of his partner, and upon closer inspection, he was visibly wide eyed, and appeared to be severely distressed over something, which sparked a pit of concern in Damiens stomach. "Aeryn? What are you doing in here?" he asked, yet Volts answer was just as worrying as his attitude. 

"Sorry to cut you short but...you really gotta come with me."

"Now."


End file.
